Methods and systems for archiving and restoring securely installed applications on a computing device

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and systems of backing up applications and their associated data installed on a device, such as a mobile device. In particular, data for a backed-up application is stored on a remote archive host and can be restored to dynamically managed containers of securely installed applications on the device. Upon request, the archive host may provide a package of files to the device. The device may then restore the application based on the contents of the package. The package may comprise all the files needed to install the application including the program code, data, and documents. Alternatively, the package may simply comprise just some of the files, such as just the data or documents for an application. After installation, a secure installer framework may be used to verify the applications and authorize the application&#39;s execution on the device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/224,420, filed on Jul. 9, 2009, and U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/224,417, filed on Jul. 9, 2009, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This application relates to the restoration of software on a computingdevice.

2. Description of the Related Technology

Computing devices, especially mobile devices, have advanced dramaticallyand now commonly allow for the installation of new applications toextend the functionality of the device. However, this openness andvariety of available applications brings security risks and managementissues, such as the risk of malware, as has been seen in the world ofpersonal computers. These risks can be especially important toenterprises that allow its employees or users to use their mobilecomputing devices for business or work purposes.

To deal with these risks, many mobile device platforms have introducedvarious security architectures. Typically, in these securityarchitectures, the mobile device platform is protected based on grantingprivileges to software, usually based on code signing. The accesscontrol decision to assign privileges to software processes is basedeither on code signing or on explicit user approval, or a combinationthereof.

Unfortunately, these security features and the large number ofapplications can make it difficult for a user or enterprise to maintaintheir mobile computing device in proper working order. For example, if acertain piece of software becomes obsolete or has been upgraded, it canbe difficult to efficiently distribute the upgrade. Designing the userinteraction for upgrade or synchronization of applications withouthampering usability and security can be tedious. Accordingly, it may bedesirable to provide methods and systems that allow for the easymanagement and upgrade of securely installed software.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an example of an environment suitable for practicing variousembodiments described herein.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary mobile device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 of an example implementation of a mobiledevice.

FIG. 4 illustrates a conceptual block diagram of an environment on thecomputing device 106 that supports secure installation of software.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for upgrading or synchronizingsoftware on the computing device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for executing securely installedsoftware on the computing device 106.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for upgrades andsynchronization of applications installed on a device, such as a mobiledevice. In one embodiment, a device may include applications purchasedand downloaded via a content management system. The device maintains alist or database of applications that are authorized for each device.This list is also replicated in a remote cache that is maintained by anarchive host.

The device may then synchronize and upgrade these applications acrossmultiple platforms, such as one or more computers that can be coupled tothe device or the archive host. The archive host can provide a packageof files that may include the code or other data back to the device. Thedevice may then confirm the authorization and identity of the newlyinstalled application.

Alternatively, when applications have been upgraded, the device mayupdate the list maintained by the device and/or the archive host mayupdate the remote application cache. Applications across multipledevices may be efficiently upgraded as a consequence. Accordingly, thevarious embodiments allow applications to be installable multiple times,while maintaining the security of the installation.

In some embodiments, in order to perform upgrades and synchronizationsecurely, the device may partition its application storage into aplurality of partitions. The multiple partitions allow the device toisolate the different versions of the application files and, if needed,swap between versions of an application. Furthermore, using partitionsand dynamic containers, software applications can be maintained verysimply by relying on installation and uninstallation rather than morecomplex logic.

When installing an application in a partition, an installer configuresone or more secure containers for the software and installs the softwareexclusively in these containers. In some embodiments, the installerrandomly determines the identifiers for the containers. Theseidentifiers remain unknown to the software to be installed. Thus, aninstallation framework maintains the correspondence between anapplication, its partitions, and its container.

For example, each software application may have a unique identifier.This unique identifier may be included in the installation request oralso determined by the installer. The installer then determines arandomly assigned identifier, such as a directory name, for one or morecontainers on the device in which the application will be installed. Thecontainers may be a specific area of storage in a partition on thedevice or a directory defined on the device. Data specific to thesoftware application including code storage, documents, preferences, andother libraries are stored and restricted to these dynamic containers.

After installation, an installation framework performs a bind process tocorrelate the randomly assigned identifier with the unique identifier ofthe application. The installation framework also manages the executionof the application. For example, when the application is launched, theinstallation framework performs a search for that application's randomlyassigned identifier and locates the application's container. Theapplication is then allowed to execute within its container. Duringexecution, the software application may also be restricted in variousways by the installation framework to its dynamic containers. Theinstaller may also work with a trusted operating system component, suchas the kernel, to help enforce the container restrictions.

As noted, the installer may use randomly assigned identifiers for thecontainers, which are unknown to the software being installed. Therandom identifiers may be based on various functions, such as a hashfunction and the like. In addition, the random identifiers for thecontainers may be based on various unique attributes of the software. Insome embodiments, the installer stores this information only in atrusted cache for access by the installation framework.

Moreover, if desired, the use of random identifiers for containers maybe used in conjunction with other security mechanisms. For example, theoperating system of the computing device may be configured to determinewhether the code has been authorized by a trusted authority.

For example, a trusted authority may authorize software for installationand/or execution by digitally signing the software. As is known in theart, a digital signature uses public key cryptography to ensure theintegrity of data. If the code is authorized and verified as such, itmay be generally executed without any further system or userinteraction; if the code is not authorized, its ability to be executedon the computing device may be restricted or even prevented.

In order to help explain the embodiments of these and other concepts,FIGS. 1-6 are provided in this description. FIG. 1 shows an example of acomputing environment in which the embodiments may be implemented. FIGS.2A-2B and FIG. 3 illustrate an exemplary mobile device. FIG. 4illustrates a conceptual block diagram of an environment on thecomputing device 106 that supports secure installation of software. FIG.5 illustrates an exemplary process flow for upgrading and synchronizingsecurely installed applications. And, FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplaryprocess for executing a securely installed application. These figureswill now be further described below beginning with reference to FIG. 1.

For purposes of illustration, the present disclosure provides as anexample a mobile computing device that is capable of securely installingapplications. The mobile computing device may obtain these applicationsfrom an online source, such as, Apple's iTunes App Store. However, oneskilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the presentinvention are not limited to mobile devices.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of an environment suitable forpracticing various embodiments is provided. As shown, system 100 maycomprise a source 102 for the software and/or program code to beinstalled, a network 104, a set of computing devices 106, an archivehost 108, and an application cache 110. These entities and componentswill now be further described.

Source 102 serves as the source of the software program code to beinstalled. For example, source 102 can be a website, or service that isaccessible to the computing devices 106. In some embodiments, source 102is an application that runs on the computing device 106 and makes source102 accessible via network 104.

For example, the source 102 may be a website or service, which allowsusers of the computing devices 106 to browse and download applicationsfrom an online content and media store. Such media stores may includestores, such as Apple's iTunes Store, App Catalog by Palm Inc., AndroidMarket, Windows Marketplace for Mobile by Microsoft, the Ovi store byNokia, and BlackBerry App World by Research in Motion.

The applications on source 102 may be available to purchase or free ofcharge, depending on the application. The applications can be downloadeddirectly to the computing devices 106 as will be further described.

Network 104 provides a communication infrastructure between computingdevices 106 and source 102. Network 104 may be any type of network, suchas a wide-area network, metropolitan-area network, or local-areanetwork. In addition, network 104 may comprise both wired and wirelessnetworks.

In some embodiments, network 106 may be implemented on the Internet,which is the well-known global network of interconnected computers,enabling users to share information. The components and protocolsemployed by network 106 are well known to those skilled in the art.

Computing devices 106 may be any computing device used by a user.Computing devices 106 may be mobile computing devices, such as mobiletelephones, mobile smart-phones, or some other type of mobile device.Computing devices 106 may be configured to run an operating system thatrequires some or all of its software and code to have been securelyinstalled. Thus, if software is delivered or installed in anunauthorized state to computing devices 106, the devices may be unableto fully execute the code instructions included in the software becausethey have not been properly installed.

Computing devices 106 may be any number of different types of computingdevices, including desktop computers, laptop computers, handheldcomputers, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, mobile telephone,media play device, and the like. For purposes of illustration, variousembodiments related to a mobile device are provided. However, oneskilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be applied toany type of computing device.

Archive host 108 provides a storage location for program code andrelated data for applications installed on mobile devices 106. Inparticular, archive host 108 serves as a host that preserves andprovides access to software that has been installed on mobile devices106. For example, when an application has been purchased from source 102and installed, source 102 may also archive a copy of the application toarchive host 108. The archive copy may comprise all the files for anapplication, such as program code, data, and other documents, or maycomprise a portion of the files, such as only the data or documents.Archive host 108 may be implemented on a server using well knowncomponents of hardware or software. In some embodiments, the archivecopies of applications are stored in the form of the well known .zipfile format. Of course, any type of file format for archives may beemployed.

In some embodiments, the archive copy may be packaged in installableform to allow for easy reinstallation or upgrade of the application. Thecontents of the package may be configured based on various criteria,such as user configuration settings, settings of archive host, settingsrequested by source 102, etc.

In some embodiments, archive host 108 may employ various securityfeatures, such as secured logins, authentication, and encryption inorder to protect its information. For example, archive host 108 mayrestrict access of a mobile device 106 to information corresponding toits device identifier. As another example, an entity may be allowed toaccess information for only those mobile devices to which it manages orto only those devices having software signed by that entity. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that a variety of security policiesand features may be employed to protect archive host 108.

Application cache 110 maintains a list or database of applications thatare authorized for each of mobile devices 106. For example, applicationcache 110 may comprise respective lists or mappings indicating variousaspects of the configuration of a mobile device, such as an identifierfor mobile device 106, applications installed, version information,devices that are related to mobile device 106, and the like. In otherwords, any type of information that indicates the state andconfiguration of software or firmware installed on a mobile device 106may be maintained in cache 110. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat application cache 110 may employ various lists, data structures,and databases to maintain this information.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example mobile device 106. The mobile device 106can be, for example, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant,a cellular telephone, a network appliance, a camera, a smart phone, anenhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a networkbase station, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, agame console, or a combination of any two or more of these dataprocessing devices or other data processing devices.

Mobile Device Overview

In some implementations, the mobile device 106 includes a touchsensitive display 202. The touch-sensitive display 202 can beimplemented with liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emittingpolymer display (LPD) technology, or some other display technology. Thetouch sensitive display 202 can be sensitive to haptic and/or tactilecontact with a user.

In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display 202 can comprise amulti-touch-sensitive display 202. A multi-touch-sensitive display 202can, for example, process multiple simultaneous touch points, includingprocessing data related to the pressure, degree, and/or position of eachtouch point. Such processing facilitates gestures and interactions withmultiple fingers, chording, and other interactions. Othertouch-sensitive display technologies can also be used, e.g., a displayin which contact is made using a stylus or other pointing device. Someexamples of multi-touch-sensitive display technology are described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,323,846, 6,570,557, 6,677,932, and 6,888,536,, each ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In some implementations, the mobile device 106 can display one or moregraphical user interfaces on the touch-sensitive display 202 forproviding the user access to various system objects and for conveyinginformation to the user. In some implementations, the graphical userinterface can include one or more display objects 204, 206. In theexample shown, the display objects 204, 206, are graphic representationsof system objects. Some examples of system objects include devicefunctions, applications, windows, files, alerts, events, or otheridentifiable system objects.

Example Mobile Device Functionality

In some implementations, the mobile device 106 can implement multipledevice functionalities, such as a telephony device, as indicated by aPhone object 210; an e-mail device, as indicated by the Mail object 212;a map devices, as indicated by the Maps object 211; a Wi-Fi base stationdevice (not shown); and a network video transmission and display device,as indicated by the Web Video object 216. In some implementations,particular display objects 204, e.g., the Phone object 210, the Mailobject 212, the Maps object 214, and the Web Video object 216, can bedisplayed in a menu bar 218. In some implementations, devicefunctionalities can be accessed from a top-level graphical userinterface, such as the graphical user interface illustrated in FIG. 2A.Touching one of the objects 210, 212, 214, or 216 can, for example,invoke a corresponding functionality.

In some implementations, the mobile device 106 can implement a networkdistribution functionality. For example, the functionality can enablethe user to take the mobile device 106 and provide access to itsassociated network while traveling. In particular, the mobile device 106can extend Internet access (e.g., WiFi) to other wireless devices in thevicinity. For example, mobile device 106 can be configured as a basestation for one or more devices. As such, mobile device 106 can grant ordeny network access to other wireless devices.

In some implementations, upon invocation of a device functionality, thegraphical user interface of the mobile device 106 changes, or isaugmented or replaced with another user interface or user interfaceelements, to facilitate user access to particular functions associatedwith the corresponding device functionality. For example, in response toa user touching the Phone object 210, the graphical user interface ofthe touch-sensitive display 202 may present display objects related tovarious phone functions; likewise, touching of the Mail object 212 maycause the graphical user interface to present display objects related tovarious e-mail functions; touching the Maps object 214 may cause thegraphical user interface to present display objects related to variousmaps functions; and touching the Web Video object 216 may cause thegraphical user interface to present display objects related to variousweb video functions.

In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interfaceenvironment or state of FIG. 2A can be restored by pressing a button 220located near the bottom of the mobile device 106. In someimplementations, each corresponding device functionality may havecorresponding “home” display objects displayed on the touch-sensitivedisplay 202, and the graphical user interface environment of FIG. 2A canbe restored by pressing the “home” display object.

In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface caninclude additional display objects 206, such as a short messagingservice (SMS) object 230, a Calendar object 232, a Photos object 234, aCamera object 236, a Calculator object 238, a Stocks object 240, aAddress Book object 242, a Media object 244, a Web object 246, a Videoobject 248, a Settings object 250, and a Notes object (not shown).Touching the SMS display object 230 can, for example, invoke an SMSmessaging environment and supporting functionality; likewise, eachselection of a display object 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242, 244, 246,248, and 250 can invoke a corresponding object environment andfunctionality.

Additional and/or different display objects can also be displayed in thegraphical user interface of FIG. 2A. For example, if the device 106 isfunctioning as a base station for other devices, one or more“connection” objects may appear in the graphical user interface toindicate the connection. In some implementations, the display objects206 can be configured by a user, e.g., a user may specify which displayobjects 206 are displayed, and/or may download additional applicationsor other software that provides other functionalities and correspondingdisplay objects.

In some implementations, the mobile device 106 can include one or moreinput/output (I/O) devices and/or sensor devices. For example, a speaker260 and a microphone 262 can be included to facilitate voice-enabledfunctionalities, such as phone and voice mail functions. In someimplementations, an up/down button 284 for volume control of the speaker260 and the microphone 262 can be included. The mobile device 106 canalso include an on/off button 282 for a ring indicator of incoming phonecalls. In some implementations, a loud speaker 264 can be included tofacilitate hands-free voice functionalities, such as speaker phonefunctions. An audio jack 266 can also be included for use of headphonesand/or a microphone.

In some implementations, a proximity sensor 268 can be included tofacilitate the detection of the user positioning the mobile device 106proximate to the user's ear and, in response, to disengage thetouch-sensitive display 202 to prevent accidental function invocations.In some implementations, the touch sensitive display 202 can be turnedoff to conserve additional power when the mobile device 106 is proximateto the user's ear.

Other sensors can also be used. For example, in some implementations, anambient light sensor 270 can be utilized to facilitate adjusting thebrightness of the touch-sensitive display 202. In some implementations,an accelerometer 272 can be utilized to detect movement of the mobiledevice 106, as indicated by the directional arrow 274. Accordingly,display objects and/or media can be presented according to a detectedorientation, e.g., portrait or landscape. In some implementations, themobile device 106 may include circuitry and sensors for supporting alocation determining capability, such as that provided by the globalpositioning system (GPS) or other positioning systems (e.g., systemsusing Wi-Fi access points, television signals, cellular grids, UniformResource Locators (URLs)). In some implementations, a positioning system(e.g., a GPS receiver) can be integrated into the mobile device 106 orprovided as a separate device that can be coupled to the mobile device106 through an interface (e.g., port device 290) to provide access tolocation-based services.

In some implementations, a port device 290, e.g., a Universal Serial Bus(USB) port, or a docking port, or some other wired port connection, canbe included. The port device 290 can, for example, be utilized toestablish a wired connection to other computing devices, such as othercommunication devices 106, network access devices, a personal computer,a printer, a display screen, or other processing devices capable ofreceiving and/or transmitting data. In some implementations, the portdevice 290 allows the mobile device 106 to synchronize with a hostdevice using one or more protocols, such as, for example, the TCPIIP,HTTP, UDP and any other known protocol.

The mobile device 106 can also include a camera lens and sensor 280. Insome implementations, the camera lens and sensor 280 can be located onthe back surface of the mobile device 106. The camera can capture stillimages and/or video.

The mobile device 106 can also include one or more wirelesscommunication subsystems, such as an 802.11, b/g communication device286, and/or a Bluetooth™ communication device 288. Other communicationprotocols can also be supported, including other 802.x communicationprotocols (e.g., WiMax, Wi-Fi, 3G), code division multiple access(CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSMEnvironment (EDGE), etc.

Example Configurable Top-Level Graphical User Interface

FIG. 2B illustrates another example of configurable top-level graphicaluser interface of device 106. The device 106 can be configured todisplay a different set of display objects.

In some implementations, each of one or more system objects of device106 has a set of system object attributes associated with it; and one ofthe attributes determines whether a display object for the system objectwill be rendered in the top-level graphical user interface. Thisattribute can be set by the system automatically, or by a user throughcertain programs or system functionalities as described below. FIG. 2Bshows an example of how the Notes object 252 (not shown in FIG. 2A) isadded to and the Web Video object 216 is removed from the top graphicaluser interface of device 106 (e.g. such as when the attributes of theNotes system object and the Web Video system object are modified).

Example Mobile Device Architecture

FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 of an example implementation of a mobiledevice 106. As shown, the mobile device can include a memory interface302, one or more data processors, image processors and/or centralprocessing units 304, and a peripherals interface 306. The memoryinterface 302, the one or more processors 304 and/or the peripheralsinterface 306 can be separate components or can be integrated in one ormore integrated circuits. The various components in the mobile devicecan be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines.

Sensors, devices, and subsystems can be coupled to the peripheralsinterface 306 to facilitate multiple functionalities. For example, amotion sensor 310, a light sensor 312, and a proximity sensor 311 can becoupled to the peripherals interface 306 to facilitate the orientation,lighting, and proximity functions described with respect to FIG. 2A.Other sensors 316 can also be connected to the peripherals interface306, such as a positioning system (e.g., GPS receiver), a temperaturesensor, a biometric sensor, or other sensing device, to facilitaterelated functionalities.

A camera subsystem 320 and an optical sensor 322, e.g., a chargedcoupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)optical sensor, can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such asrecording photographs and video clips.

Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wirelesscommunication subsystems 324, which can include radio frequencyreceivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers andtransmitters. The specific design and implementation of thecommunication subsystem 324 can depend on the communication network(s)over which the mobile device is intended to operate. For example, amobile device can include communication subsystems 324 designed tooperate over a GSM network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi orWiMax network, and a Bluetooth™ network. In particular, the wirelesscommunication subsystems 324 may include hosting protocols such that themobile device may be configured as a base station for other wirelessdevices.

An audio subsystem 326 can be coupled to a speaker 328 and a microphone330 to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition,voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions.

The I/O subsystem 340 can include a touch screen controller 342 and/orother input controller(s) 344. The touch-screen controller 342 can becoupled to a touch screen 346. The touch screen 346 and touch screencontroller 342 can, for example, detect contact and movement or breakthereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies,including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, andsurface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensorarrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contactwith the touch screen 346.

The other input controller(s) 344 can be coupled to other input/controldevices 348, such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumbwheel,infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus. Theone or more buttons (not shown) can include an up/down button for volumecontrol of the speaker 328 and/or the microphone 330.

In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first duration maydisengage a lock of the touch screen 346; and a pressing of the buttonfor a second duration that is longer than the first duration may turnpower to the mobile device on or off. The user may be able to customizea functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touch screen 346 can,for example, also be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or akeyboard.

In some implementations, the mobile device can present recorded audioand/or video files, such as MP3,, AAC, and MPEG files. In someimplementations, the mobile device can include the functionality of anMP3, player, such as an iPod™. The mobile device may, therefore, includea 32-pin connector that is compatible with the iPod™. Other input/outputand control devices can also be used.

The memory interface 302 can be coupled to memory 350. The memory 350can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory,such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more opticalstorage devices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). The memory 350can store an operating system 352, such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OSX, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. Theoperating system 352 may include instructions for handling basic systemservices and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In someimplementations, the operating system 352 can be a kernel (e.g., UNIXkernel).

The memory 350 may also store communication instructions 354 tofacilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one ormore computers and/or one or more servers. The memory 350 may includegraphical user interface instructions 356 to facilitate graphic userinterface processing; sensor processing instructions 358 to facilitatesensor-related processing and functions; phone instructions 360 tofacilitate phone-related processes and functions; electronic messaginginstructions 362 to facilitate electronic-messaging related processesand functions; web browsing instructions 364 to facilitate webbrowsing-related processes and functions; media processing instructions366 to facilitate media processing-related processes and functions;GPS/Navigation instructions 368 to facilitate GPS and navigation-relatedprocesses and instructions; camera instructions 370 to facilitatecamera-related processes and functions; and/or other softwareinstructions 372 to facilitate other processes and functions, e.g.,access control management functions. The memory 350 may also store othersoftware instructions (not shown), such as web video instructions tofacilitate web video-related processes and functions; and/or webshopping instructions to facilitate web shopping-related processes andfunctions. In some implementations, the media processing instructions366 are divided into audio processing instructions and video processinginstructions to facilitate audio processing-related processes andfunctions and video processing-related processes and functions,respectively. An activation record and International Mobile EquipmentIdentity (IMEI) 374 or similar hardware identifier can also be stored inmemory 350.

Each of the above identified instructions and applications cancorrespond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functionsdescribed above. These instructions need not be implemented as separatesoftware programs, procedures, or modules. The memory 350 can includeadditional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, variousfunctions of the mobile device may be implemented in hardware and/or insoftware, including in one or more signal processing and/or applicationspecific integrated circuits.

FIG. 4 illustrates a conceptual block diagram of an environment on thecomputing device 106 that supports secure installation of software. Asshown, in order to implement secure installation of software, thecomputing device 106 may comprise an installer 400, an operating system402, an installation framework 404, storage 406, one or more containers408 arranged in a directory structure. These components will now befurther described.

Installer 400 is a program or process that installs files, such asapplications, drivers, or other software, on computing device 106. Insome embodiments, installer 400 is configured to read and analyze thecontents of a software package to be installed, such as a softwarepackage from source 102.

A software package from source 102 may have a specific format andinformation that is used by installer 400. In particular, a softwarepackage may include the software's full name, a unique identifier forthe software, a description of its purpose, version number, vendor,checksum, and a list of dependencies necessary for the software to runproperly. Upon installation, installer 400 may also store metadata aboutthe software.

In addition, the installer 400 may be interfaced based on apredetermined application programming interface (API). In oneembodiment, the API comprises functions to install an application,uninstall an application, archive an application, and list installedapplications. The API can also provide functions that instruct installer400 to verify application installation and access restrictions at runtime. In some embodiments, the API for the installer 400 may provideprimitives for these functions via a trusted portion of the operatingsystem 402, such as the kernel 410.

Operating system 402 generally serves as an interface between hardwareand the user. In particular, operating system 402 may be responsible forthe management and coordination of activities and the sharing of theresources of the computing device 106. Operating system 402 primarilyacts as a host for applications, and thus, includes instructions thathandle the details of the operation of the hardware of the computingdevice 106.

In addition, operating system 402 may offer a number of services toapplication programs and users. The applications running on computingdevice 106 may access these services through APIs or system calls. Forexample, by calling an API function, an application can request aservice from the operating system 402, pass parameters, and receive theresults of the operation.

In some embodiments, operating system 402 may be like operating system352, shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, operating system 402 may be anoperating system, such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, oran embedded operating system such as VxWorks.

Kernel 410 is the central trusted component of operating system 402. Thefunctions of kernel 410 responsibilities include managing the resources,such as the resources shown in FIGS. 2A-2B and FIG. 3. In particular,kernel 410 provides access to resources, such as the memory 350,processor(s) 304, and I/O subsystems 340 of computing device 106. Ingeneral, kernel 410 may employ API system calls and inter-processcommunications to perform its function.

Trusted cache 412 is a temporary storage area where frequently accesseddata, such as randomly assigned identifiers for containers 408, can bestored for rapid access. For example, cache 412 may be implemented inmemory 350 to of computing device 106. Furthermore, trusted cache 412may be maintained in a trusted space of memory 350 in order to secureits information. In some embodiments, access to trusted cache 412 may belimited to certain components, such as kernel 410.

Installation framework 404 is a library file that controls howapplications are securely installed on the computing device 106 and themanagement of the securely installed applications. In some embodiments,the installation framework 404 restricts where and how applications canbe installed on the computing device 106. For example, the installationframework 404 may contain supporting programs, libraries, or referencesto other files.

Storage 406 may be any data storage device, such as a hard disk, memory,optical disk, etc. for computing device 106. In some embodiments,information is stored in storage 406 based on a known file system anddirectory structure. Such file systems and directory structures areknown to those skilled in the art.

As shown, storage 406 may comprise multiple partitions, such aspartitions #1 and #2 depicted in FIG. 4. Partitioning of storage 406allows for the protection and isolation of the files associated with theapplications. For example, a first version of the application may bestored in partition #1, but a second version or upgrade of theapplication may then be stored in partition #2. This also allows forsecurely installed applications to continue to be installed in dynamiccontainers, like containers 408, which are self contained. Such dynamiccontainers are further described below.

One skilled in the art will recognize that device 106 may comprise anynumber of partitions of various sizes and configurations. Furthermore,the use of partitions in storage 406 allows applications to be upgradedindependently of the upgrade processes used elsewhere on device 106. Forexample, applications securely installed on device 106 may be upgradedwithout having to use the upgrade processes of operating system 402.

Within each partition, the various embodiments may employ various filesystems and directories. In some embodiments, the file systems employdirectories having randomly assigned identifiers or names, which aredynamic containers for an application. In particular, these randomidentifiers provide a level of indirection that helps allow theinstallation framework 404 control the installation and execution ofsoftware within its container. The random identifiers are unknown to theapplication itself and known only to the installation framework 404.This mechanism provides the operation system 402 a point of control thatensures the behavior of an application's installation and execution.

Containers 408 refer to any collection of resources that are used storethe program code of a software application and used by the applicationrunning on computing device 106, such as disk space on storage 406and/or memory space in memory 350. In some embodiments, containers 408may comprise a directory that refers to a specific area of storage 406on the device 106. Data specific to the software application includingcode storage, documents, preferences, and other libraries are stored andrestricted to the containers 408.

In order to enhance security, containers 408 can employ randomlyassigned identifiers, such as random directory names, that are unknownto the application. One advantage, among others, is that the applicationis prevented from becoming a security risk since the application doesnot directly control its resources or directory space. As noted, theinstaller 400 may use randomly assigned identifiers for the containers408. The random identifiers may be based on various functions, such as ahash function of information provided in the application's package, someother type of cryptographic function, and the like. In addition, therandom identifiers for the containers 408 may be based on various uniqueattributes of the software. For example, unique application identifiersin the form of com.domain.email may be used in determining the randomidentifier for the container 408. In some embodiments, the installer 400stores this information only in trusted cache 412.

During execution, a software application may also be restricted invarious ways to its respective partition and containers 408. Forexample, containers 408 may comprise a set of resource limits imposed onprograms by kernel 410, such as 110 bandwidth caps, disk quotas, networkaccess restrictions, and as noted above a restricted directory namespaceknown only to the installation framework 404.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for securely installing softwareon the computing device 106. As shown, first, computing device 106 mayreceive a request to upgrade or synchronize an application. For example,a user of computing device 106 may access source 102 and select one ormore applications to synchronize them or to check if upgrades areavailable. The various applications may be identified based oninformation stored on the device.

Second, source 102 may forward the request to archive host 108. Source102 may provide various types of information in the request, such as oneor more identifiers for the application, the entity that signed theapplication, etc.

Third, archive host 108 checks application cache 110 to identify thesoftware that is the subject of the request. For example, archive host108 may check whether an application has an upgrade that is nowavailable. As another example, archive host 108 may check whether anapplication has been previously authorized for the device and formultiple installations on other authorized devices of a user. Thisauthorization may depend on authentication of the user and/or othercriteria.

Fourth, archive host 108 provides a package for the selected software tobe installed on the computing device 106. As noted, the package mayinclude the software's full name, a unique identifier for the software,a description of its purpose, version number, vendor, checksum, and alist of dependencies necessary for the software to run properly. Thepackage provided from archive host 108 may comprise different types offiles. For example, the package may comprise all the files needed toinstall the application. However, the package may comprise just dataused by the application or documents used by the application. Thecontents of the package may vary depending on the application, thenature of the request, settings of archive host 108, etc.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the requested application has a uniqueidentifier of “ABCD.” Upon receiving this package, operating system 402may execute installer 402 as a running process to perform theinstallation of the requested software.

Fifth, source 102 provides the package to the computing device 106. Insome embodiments, source 102 may perform additional activities relatedto the package. For example, source 102 may perform various integritychecks, formatting, and/or add additional data or files to the package.

Sixth, installer 400 determines a destination partition, e.g., partition#1, and container 408 for the application. For example, as shown,installer 400 may select partition #1 as the destination partition.

Seventh, installer 400 may randomly assign an identifier or name for adirectory that is to be used as container 408 for the application, e.g.,application ABCD. For example, installer 400 may perform variouscryptographic functions to determine/generate a random identifier forcontainer 408. Such cryptographic functions are known to those skilledin the art. In some embodiments, installer 400 may employ a hashingfunction that is based on information from the package in order todetermine/generate the random identifier for container 408. In addition,installer 400 may utilize various arbitrary attributes of the softwareto determine the random identifier. In the example shown in FIG. 5,installer 400 has generated “1AFF2”, as the random identifier for thecontainer 408.

Eighth, installer 400 makes a call to installation framework 404. Inresponse, installation framework 404 may record the random identifierand associate it with the application. In addition, installationframework 404 may determine various constraints, such as I/O limits,storage space, etc., for the requested application in container 408.

Ninth, installer 400 and/or installation framework 404 installs theprogram code, etc. in its partition and container 408. In someembodiments, each application is given one container 408. For example,as shown, installer 400 may call installation framework 404 and installcompiled code in partition #1 of storage 406.

Tenth, the identifier for container 408 is stored in trusted cache 412for later use by operating system 402, kernel 410 and/or installationframework 404. For example, installation framework 404 may record anentry in trusted cache 412 that correlates application “ABCD” withcontainer identifier “1AFF2”, for container 408 and for partition #1 instorage 406. Of course, the operating system 402, kernel 410 orinstallation framework 404 may utilize other bind processes to correlatethe randomly assigned identifier with the application being installed.

In addition to the process described above, when a request to upgrade orsynchronize the software is received, computing device 106 can alsocheck a digital signature of the software or software package to verifyits authenticity and/or authorization. If the software is verified asbeing signed by a trusted authority, installer 400 and/or installationframework 404 may also permit installation of the computing device 106as additional or alternative criteria for allowing installation.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for executing securely installedsoftware on the computing device 106. In general, the installationframework 404 manages the launching and execution of applications beingexecuted on the computing device 106. In particular, the installationframework 404 provides a mechanism by which the operating system 402identifies and locates the container 408 for an application.

First, computing device 106 receives a request to launch or execute anapplication that has been securely installed on computing device 106.For example, a user of computing device 106 may select an applicationinstalled on the computing device. In the example shown in FIG. 6,application “ABCD” has been selected by the user using a peripheral,such as a touch screen, etc. This information may then be passed viaperipheral interface 348 to operating system 402.

Second, operating system 402 services this request. For example,operating system 402 may instruct kernel 410 to execute the requestedapplication, e.g., application “ABCD.” Because this application has beensecurely installed, the location of container 408 is unknown orinitially beyond the control of the application.

Accordingly, third, kernel 410 makes a call to installation framework404 requesting the identifier for container 408 for application “ABCD.”Fourth, installation framework 404 may then perform a search for thecontainer 408 for the requested application and then responds with theidentifier for container 408, e.g., “1AFF2.”

For example, kernel 410 may perform a comparison of this uniqueidentifier with the information stored in trusted cache 412. Forexample, kernel 410 may perform a text comparison to determine whetherthe identifier matches an entry that is stored in trusted cache 412.

If the information does not match what is stored in trusted cache 412,then operating system 402 may deny the application and/or prompt theuser for a response. For example, the operating system 402 may provide awarning message that the application could not be found by installationframework 404.

If the information matches what is stored in trusted cache 412, then,fifth, kernel 410 continues its service of the application. Inparticular, the application is allowed to execute on computing device106 within the constraints of its container 408.

In addition to the process described above, when a request to executethe software is received, computing device 106 can also check a digitalsignature of the software to verify its authenticity and/orauthorization. If the software is verified as being signed by a trustedauthority, installation framework 404 may use this verification asadditional or alternative criteria for allowing execution.

It is pertinent to point out that the specific structures and sequencesdescribed above may be implemented/performed with alternative structuresand sequences. Therefore, the teachings of the above description shouldnot be construed as being limited to the specific structures and/orsequences described above.

Those of skill may recognize that the various illustrative logicalblocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processorcan read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC mayreside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and thestorage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments,it may be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of a device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention. As may be recognized, the present invention may be embodiedwithin a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits setforth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately fromothers. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come withinthe meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embracedwithin their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for executing an application, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a device, the application; determining, by thedevice, a container and a partition for the application; generating, bythe device, an identifier of the container, using attributes of theapplication; installing, by the device, the application in thecontainer; storing, by the device, the identifier of the container intoa trusted cache and an installation framework of the device; receiving,by the device, a request to execute the application, and based on therequest: accessing, by the device, the identifier in both theinstallation framework and the trusted cache, determining, by thedevice, that there is a correlation between the identifier stored in thetrusted cache and the identifier stored in the installation framework,and executing, by the device, the application within the container. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting restoration of theapplication on an additional device based on whether the application wasauthorized for the additional device.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe installation framework is a mechanism by which an operating systemof the device identifies and locates the container.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the identifier is generated based on a cryptographicfunction.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: retrieving apackage of files comprising data and documents used by the application.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: retrieving a list ofdependencies necessary for the application to run properly.
 7. A device,comprising: a processor; and a storage device configured to storeinstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device tocarry out steps that include: receiving an application determining acontainer and a partition of the storage device for the application;generating an identifier for the container based on attributes of theapplication; installing the application in the container; storing, bythe device, the identifier of the container into a trusted cache and aninstallation framework of the device; receiving, by the device, arequest to execute the application, and based on the request to executethe application: accessing the identifier in both the installationframework and the trusted cache, determining that there is a correlationbetween the identifier stored in the trusted cache and the identifierstored in the installation framework, and executing the applicationwithin the container.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the stepsfurther include requesting restoration of the application on anadditional device based on whether the application was authorized forthe additional device.
 9. The device of claim 7, wherein the stepsfurther include verifying a digital signature of the application. 10.The device of claim 7, wherein the steps further include retrieving apackage of files comprising only data used by the application.
 11. Thedevice of claim 10, wherein retrieving the package of files comprisesretrieving a list of dependencies necessary for the application to runproperly.
 12. The device of claim 7, wherein the steps further includeretrieving a package of files comprising program code, data, anddocuments used by the application.
 13. A non-transitory computerreadable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by aprocessor included in a device, cause the processor to carry out stepsthat include: retrieving an application; identifying a container that isincluded in a partition of the storage included in the device, whereinthe container is associated with an identifier; installing theapplication in the container; store the identifier into a trusted cacheand an installation framework of the device; receiving a request toexecute the application, and based on the request to execute theapplication: accessing the identifier in both the installation frameworkand the trusted cache, determining that there is a correlation betweenthe identifier stored in the trusted cache and the identifier stored inthe installation framework, and executing the application within thecontainer.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 13, wherein the steps further include requesting restoration ofthe application on an additional device based on whether the applicationwas authorized for the additional device.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the steps furtherinclude verifying a digital signature of the application.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein thesteps further include retrieving a package of files comprising only dataused by the application.
 17. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 13, wherein the steps further include retrievinga list of dependencies necessary for the application to run properly.18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13,wherein the steps further include retrieving a package of filescomprising program code, data, and documents used by the application.